@article{ref1,
title=""Cycling was never so easy!" An analysis of e-bike commuters' motives, travel behaviour and experiences using GPS-tracking and interviews",
journal="Journal of transport geography",
year="2017",
author="Plazier, Paul A. and Weitkamp, Gerd and van den Berg, Agnes E.",
volume="65",
number="",
pages="25-34",
abstract="The market for electrically-assisted cycling is growing fast. When substituting motorized travel, it could play an important role in the development of sustainable transport systems. This study aimed to assess the potential of e-bikes for low-carbon commuting by analysing e-bike commuters' motives, travel behaviour and experiences. We GPS-tracked outdoor movements of 24 e-bike users in the Netherlands for two weeks and used their mapped travel behaviour as input for follow-up in-depth interviews. Most participants commuted by e-bike, alternated with car use. E-bike use was highest in work-related, single-destination journeys. It gave participants the benefits of conventional cycling over motorized transport (physical, outdoor activity) while mitigating relative disadvantages (longer travel time, increased effort). The positive experience of e-bike use explained the tolerance for longer trip durations compared to other modes of transportation. Participants were inclined to make detours in order to access more enjoyable routes. <br><br>RESULTS demonstrate that e-bikes can substitute motorized commuting modes on distances perceived to be too long to cover by regular bike, and stress the importance of positive experience in e-bike commuting. This provides impetus for future actions to encourage commuting by e-bike.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0966-6923",
doi="10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2017.09.017",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2017.09.017"
}